thinkbroadband

Wi-Fi hotspots are a great addition to having access to 3G when out and
about in the UK, but as soon as we head abroad they often become our only
affordable way to access the Internet. While improvements in mobile device
operating systems make roaming between different operators Wi-Fi hotspots simpler
there is still more that could be done, and the Wi-Fi Alliance is working on a
Passpoint system as part of the Hotspot 2.0 specification
to make roaming and across the world a lot easier.

For the Wi-Fi hotspot operators, roaming will help to provide another
revenue stream beyond those who already subscribe to their service, by getting
some income from those who are simply passing by and using the connection for a
few seconds to check their email or send a tweet.

In the EU we have a cap on the cost of mobile broadband roaming, which from
1st July should limit data roaming to 90 cents (75p) per MegaByte, which is
still expensive, hopefully Wi-Fi roaming will be significantly cheaper.

Comments

Posted by
nmg196 over 4 years ago
Why limit this to data? I'd be more interested to see a standard which allows voice calls to transparently roam to WiFi (VOIP) while indoors at home or public places. Imagine the problems it would solve if we can receive calls over WiFi without needing to roll out expensive picocells or repeaters. I acknowledge there may be a latency in transferring the voice service, but even if it couldn't transfer an 'active' call, it would still be a huge bonus.